FOXCATCHER Director Bennett Miller Talks About How He Cast The Film

July 19, 2014

Director Bennett Miller recently stopped by the AFI campus for a Harold Lloyd Master Seminar talk with AFI Conservatory Fellows. During the discussion, moderated by Dean Jan Schuette, Miller was asked how he went about casting the three leads in FOXCATCHER, the true story about Olympic Wrestling Champions and eccentric multimillionaire John E. du Pont. Steve Carell portrays du Pont and Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo play champion wrestling brothers Mark and David Schultz.

In the following clip, Miller explains why he felt Tatum and Ruffalo, a former state champion wrestler himself, were right for the acclaimed drama. He also recounts how Carell’s description of FOXCATCHER antagonist du Pont (“[he] seemed to have a mushy center, but he doesn’t. He’s dangerous.”) ultimately led him to cast the comedic actor in the weighty role.